Mary Robinson delivered remarks at the closing plenary of the second annual United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights on 4 December 2013 in Geneva.
Mary Robinson delivered remarks at the closing plenary of the second annual United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights on 4 December 2013 in Geneva.
Informed by the preceding three days of discussions on trends and challenges in implementation of the UN Guiding Principles, the closing session focussed on key issues, opportunities and priorities in the year to come with a view to ensuring wide and effective dissemination and implementation.
At the forum Mrs Robinson spoke about the UN Guiding Principles, which make clear that all businesses have a responsibility to put in place policies and processes to respect human rights. She informed delegates that all of these measures apply equally to climate justice – for example:
a) A policy commitment to minimise contributions to the causes of climate injustice; that is to the reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which cause climate change and undermine human rights. This commitment could also embrace adaptation to climate change and the need to build resilience in the face of climate risks.
b) A due diligence process which includes integrated impact assessments of environmental and human rights factors and which seek to minimise the contribution of business to GHG emissions while maximising positive investments and actions to increase resilience to climate impacts and enable the transition to low carbon, climate resilient development.
c) Business engagement in processes to remediate the negative impacts of climate change on human rights. This could be through support for adaptation and disaster risk reduction or through remediation of unmanageable climate impacts such as extreme events (like Typhoon Hayian), sea level rise or glacial retreat.
The Human Rights Council has resolved that the Forum should be held annually to discuss trends and challenges in the implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The first Forum was held in Geneva last year and attracted interest from some 1,000 participants from more than 80 countries, making it the largest global gathering on business and human rights on record. The Forum offers a unique opportunity to engage with the international community and relevant stakeholders, and to promote responsible business conduct and respect for human rights.